The Black Flame
by AllynDM
Summary: Hiei discovers the Bone Eater's Well and travels 500 years into the past, but which side shall he choose when forced to take one against either Naraku or Inuyasha? Violence and Language Warning.
1. Down The Well

**The Black Flame**

**Chapter 1**

**Down The Well**

* * *

><p>"Sango! I'm going to really complain to you about this later!" A silver-haired youth exclaimed to a woman behind him. The young man had long, silver hair that reached halfway down his back with two dog ears protruded from the top of his head. The dog ears almost drew away from his odd, golden eyes. His clothing consisted simply of a red haori, not to mention the beaded necklace around his neck. This silver-haired youth was a half-demon by the name of Inuyasha. "So don't you die!"<p>

"Ku ku ku…" An evil cackle echoed around Inuyasha and the three companions around him. "So you think you can return alive, huh?" Inuyasha watched as black appendages that resembled tentacles surrounded him and his comrades. "This is where you lowlifes die. All of this is because of…Sango's betrayal." Inuyasha looked down at a woman that rested in the arms of a second black haired girl. The black haired girl by the name of Kagome was frustrated at what the voice said.

_That's right…It's my fault. Because I stole Inuyasha's Tessaiga, _the woman thought to herself as she lay in Kagome's arms.

"Instead of your lives, Sango chose to save her brother's," the same voice insisted. "If your going to hate someone, hate Sango for her shallowness." The black tentacles suddenly struck out towards the four warriors that were huddled in a tight circle.

"Damn!" Inuyasha gripped his crimson haori and swiftly tossed it onto Kagome, shocking the girl. "Put it on! It should be able to keep off some of the miasma!" Inuyasha soon turned his attention back to the oncoming miasma. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" The half-demon lashed out at the wave of black strands with his claws, cleaving through a chunk of them. The attack didn't help much as Inuyasha was quickly hit by a second wave of miasma.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out to the silver-haired youth, but didn't risk moving even a single inch.

…

"The physical form of what's said to be a gateway from the present to the past…the Bone Eater's Well," A short, young man whispered. He had spiky, black hair with blue outlines and white streaks in it. He had a lean, muscular build for his short stature. The youth wore a white headband around his forehead and had crimson eyes that gave him a sinister look.

"A demon? Be gone!" An elderly man cried out from a few meters behind the figure of the short youth. The old man was Grandpa Higurashi, Kagome's grandfather and maintainer of the shrine grounds.

"Humph. I was already planning on leaving," smirked Hiei as he grabbed the covering of the mystical Bone-Eater's Well.

"Don't touch that, you demon!" The old man shouted as he waved his arms around, but he dear not take a step towards the black-haired demon. The warning proved ineffective as Hiei removed the covering and leapt swiftly down the well, vanishing from sight.

**…**

"It's no good! We're getting nowhere," A man with short, black hair grumbled as he watched Inuyasha fall to the ground. He wore a purple and black two-piece robe, that was typical of a Japanese Buddhist monk, and woven rice-straw sandals. _The only way to make a path…is to open the Air Rip_,Miroku thought as he began to unwrap the rosary from around his arm.

"Miroku-sama!" Kagome cried out as soon as she perceived what the monk was planning to do.

"Don't do it! If you do it, you'll die!" A small creature with brown-auburn hair, green eyes, and a fluffy tail exclaimed as he latched onto the man's arm.

"Let go, Shippo!" Miroku ordered, shaking his arm around in an attempt to dislodge the small fox-demon.

"Don't die in vain, Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted, looking back at his selfless ally.

"There's no choice! If I can save everyone here from being killing, then…" The monks words trailed off as Inuyasha delivered a direct strike to his abdomen.

"Ah…" Kagome was taken aback by the half-demon's sudden action.

"You bastard…what are…" Miroku couldn't even finish his question as he drifted into a state of unconsciousness.

"Sheesh. What an idiot," grumbled Inuyasha as he let Miroku slump to the ground. _If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been able to stop him_.

"Kukuku. Inuyasha…your naïveté will be the death of you," declared the voice of the hidden foe. "You are unable to hate your betrayer Sango and valued the priest's life, closing your means of escape. Kukuku. Such fools you all are. I thought you might help, and now…" the voice trailed off and then began to speak again. "Because of that, you're going to die. Kukuku…"

"Everything is because of your plotting," Kagome hissed as she took Inuyasha's protective haori off herself and stood up. _Naraku…I won't forgive you. Where is he ? He should be nearby…_Kagome watched as the miasma slowly crept towards her, Sango, Shippo, Miroku, and Inuyasha. I _must hurry!_ She then noticed something shimmering through the wall of a building to her right. _That's the light from a Shikon Fragment? _Kagome went from thoughts back to speaking out loud. "Over there!" She directed her partner, Inuyasha.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha roared as he rushed forward, wincing as he hacked away at waves of poisonous miasma. "Gah!" Inuyasha rubbed his face with the back of his hand after being grazed by the miasma. Being slightly distracted, he was suddenly hit in the abdomen and chest with another wave of miasma.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou shouted, although he had his small hands covering his mouth so that he didn't unnecessarily inhale any miasma. Inuyasha once again fell to the ground, but this time he was obviously injured.

"Kukuku…how pathetic, eh, Inuyasha?" Naraku's voice suddenly entered into the ears of his panicking victims. "Along with your friends, you will die in pain."

"Ugh," Inuyasha began to grab at the ground in hopes of getting back on his feet.

"For a failure of a half-youkai, it is an appropriate way to die," Naraku stated, but he wasn't expecting a purifying arrow to slam into the castle wall's exterior and leave a gaping hole in it. The broken down wall revealed the figure of a shocked man with a dark blue outfit with a purple vest and flowing black hair. "What?" He asked, looking at where his arm had been completely blown off. Naraku stared open-mouthed at Kagome, who still had her bow aimed straights towards him. _That girl…_

"Naraku!" Kagome shouted at the black-haired man, who was still slightly hidden from the waist down by the broken down wall. "You really are, absolutely…the worst!"

"The miasma is dissipating," Shippo noticed.

"This is because…Kagome-sama?" Miroku pondered, getting into a kneeling position.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha repeated, still surprised by his ally's sudden outburst.

"You're not getting away!" Kagome declared, glaring at Naraku.

_What is it? What is this girl's power? _Naraku asked himself as he gripped the spot where his arm had been attached to his body.

**…**

Hiei found himself in a small forest clearing as he maneuvered out of the Bone-Eater's well and into the feudal era, but he soon realized that this empty field had a strange energy to it. He soon decided to move forward, leaping from tree to tree until he finally reach something peculiar. In front of him, a large tree stood firm.

"This tree…" Hiei touched the wood on the tree, even running his fingers along the odd 'scar' that was imprinted into it. He felt a strong energy resenating from the scar, but simply he blew it off. No longer interested in the tree or its history, he walked away from it. He leapt onto a sturdy tree limb to his right before launching himself to the next tree and disappearing from sight once more.

…

"Don't move!" Kagome warned, her bow unwavering and prepared at any moment to fire the arrow that was nestled in it.

"Girl…you…who are you?" Naraku asked as he clutched his shoulder directly above where his arm was missing completely. _To have been able to go through I, Naraku's, body is…_he trailed off before speaking aloud. "A long time ago…there was a girl with the same power as you…"

_Does he mean Kikyo? _Inuyasha asked himself as he knelt a few feet beside the bow-wielding girl.

"You also got Kikyo into a trap and killed her, didn't you?" Kagome spat out, sounding honestly angry with the villain.

"You're Kikyo's…" _Reincarnation? _Naraku was trying to put the pieces together as he took similarities between the two into account.

"Would you shut up? I'm getting upset!" And with that, Kagome fired her arrow. The shining arrow sailed through the air and pierced right through Naraku's torso, completely destroying his stomach.

"Got him!" Shippo exclaimed.

"A-amazing…" Miroku whispered. Naraku's upper body began to fall to the ground, but Inuyasha noticed something quite odd.

"Watch out!" Inuyasha shouted to Kagome, as Naraku seemed to smirk, despite the fact that he should be dead. In a split second, an enormous wave of miasma gushed from no specific source. "Miasma!" Inuyasha shielded Kagome with his body as miasma pelted against his and Miroku's back, although Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire Rat protected the monk. When the raining poison subsided, the heroes turned back around to see what became of Naraku, but they saw nothing at all.

"The castle's gone…" Shippo stated as he gripped Miroku's shoulder.

"It was a fake castle, huh…" Miroku said as he looked around the battlefield.

_Is Naraku dead? _Inuyasha asked himself as he sat beside Kagome, who was on her hands and knees looking at something.

"Ah…Inuyasha," she said. The half-demon followed her gaze and noticed his sword planted into the ground, but it was in its rugged and slender form.

_Tessaiga... _Inuyasha began to stand up to retrieve his weapon, but he felt a cold chill the air, making him look into the sky. Like a shadow, something small and black in appearance leapt silently through the sky above. _A demon? _After the tiresome encounter with Naraku, Inuyasha decided not to chase after the black-haired figure and instead plucked his sword out of the ground.


	2. Encounter

**The Black Flame**

**Chapter 2**

**Encounter**

* * *

><p>"Hurry, Kohaku. Run to the castle…" Naraku ordered. A young boy with a black ponytail and outfit similar to the one that Sango was wearing except with a different color scheme, had the head of Naraku nestled in his arms as he ran.<p>

"Yes sir, Naraku-sama," Kohaku obeyed as he had no reason to disobey his master.

_That girl called Kagome is dreadful…The arrow that girl fired cut straight through evil constructs, poison and miasma, and purified it. If Kagome had not been further away from me than Inuyasha…my life would have been at risk, _Naraku thought to himself as he shook with each of Kohaku's steps. The head was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice that his mode of transport had stopped moving.

"Who are you?" Kohaku asked, snapping Naraku back into reality. His eyes shifted so that he could view whom Kohaku was speaking to. Ahead of them stood a short black-haired youth with cold, emotionless eyes.

"Hiei, the Cursed Child," answered Naraku as he smirked at the demon in front of him. _I didn't account on meeting him, especially in my current condition. _

"That's right," replied Hiei before taking another step forward. "How do you know who I am?"

"Kukuku. There's not many who I don't know," inquired Naraku.

"That doesn't answer my question," said Hiei monotonously. "You must be an idiot."

"I, Naraku, an idiot? Kukuku. Move aside, Hiei, or I shall have your head," Naraku warned, although he was grinning.

"You really are an idiot," Hiei concluded as he gripped the sheath of his blade and leapt forward at Kohaku and Naraku.

"Stay away from Naraku-sama," Kohaku ordered as he launched his kusarigama at the incoming blur that was Hiei. The demon leapt into the air, bringing his knees to his chest as he dodged the attack, but Kohaku quickly reeled his weapon in and jumped into the air as well. The boy lashed out at Hiei with his weapon, but Hiei deflected it with his katana and kicked Kohaku to the ground beside Naraku's head.

"Kukuku," the head of Naraku cackled as thick tree roots shot from the ground and angled towards Hiei. The demon simply sliced through them with his katana as if they were made of paper. Kohaku launched his weapon at Hiei one more time, but this attempt also failed as the black haired youth sidestepped it and planted the hilt of his blade into Kohaku.

"I will have no qualms about killing you," warned Hiei as he pointed his blade at Kohaku's downed body. Sweat dripped from Kohaku's brow as he propped himself up with his elbows.

"Kukuku. He's already been killed before," cackled the head of Naraku from behind. This statement made Hiei unsure of what was actually going on with these two oddities.

"_He's_ dead? From the looks of it, I would say _you're_ dead," insisted Hiei as he noticed that Naraku was missing his body.

"I would never be killed by that half-demon Inuyasha and that wretched Kagome girl," said Naraku before spitting in disgust.

"Inuyasha? Is that who did this to you?" He asked, beginning to become intrigued.

"He and his companions," Naraku answered honestly.

"He sounds much more fun than you…Naraku, was it? I think I'll go seek him out and fight him instead of a weak child and a decapitated head," decided Hiei as he spun on his heels, leaving his back to the villains.

"Are you sure you should be turning your back to us?" Naraku cackled.

"Like I said, a wimpy child and the defenseless head of a demon pose no threat to me. But now that I think about it, I could just kill you now on be on with my day," stated Hiei arrogantly as he sheathed his blade.

"I like your confidence, Hiei," Naraku grinned, while Hiei took a step away from them. "But if you want to lure Inuyasha out, you'll want to use this," Naraku said. Hiei turned around as Kohaku extended his arm toward the petit demon and handed him a small pink fragment. Hiei opened his fist and let the small object drop weightlessly to his palm so that he could examine it. "That is a Shikon Fragment. That is what Inuyasha is after, so it will be easy to draw him out using it"

"Why should I accept this from you?" Hiei questioned as he held the Shikon no Tama in between his thumb and index finger and held it close to his eye so he could inspect it.

"Then don't accept. It makes no difference to me," declared Naraku. _However, if you take it, that will be good for me. Maybe Inuyasha and Hiei can kill each other off, or even wound each other severely enough that I can wipe them both out at the same time. _

"Hmph," grunted Hiei as he closed his fist around the shard and walked away. _I appreciate the shard to lure out Inuyasha, but I'm going to do things my own way, Naraku._

**…**

"Naraku escaped…?" Miroku asked as he looked around the empty field. Kagome was on her hands and knees in the grass beside him, as she seemed to look for something.

"Yeah, because…the Shikon Fragment's gone," she replied. "I'm sorry…I couldn't fell him."

"If you hadn't been there Kagome-sama, all of us would have died," Miroku comforted.

"It seems you are the most amazing of any of us," reassured Inuyasha.

"Because…when he started making fun of Inuyasha…I just snapped," Kagome said as she looked down at the ground.

"You…for such a silly reason…" Inuyasha blushed as he became slightly embarrassed with Kagome's statement. Uncomfortable, Inuyasha quickly looked away from Kagome.

"Ehhhh? What do you mean, 'silly'?" Kagome stammered, but she didn't notice what was going on away from her.

"Don't move about, Sango!" Inuyasha, Kagome, and Miroku all turned their attention to Shippo and Sango, who was using Hiraikotsu, her gigantic boomerang made of demon bones, to help her to her feet.

"Sango-chan," Kagome called out the female's name, but Miroku voice soon entered her ears.

"Where are you going?" He asked. Sango turned her head to look at the monk before speaking.

"Sorry…I can't go with you anymore," she stated hesitantly.

"Sango…about your brother, and Naraku threatening you, everybody accepts that," Miroku said softly as he took a step towards her.

"That's why!" She shouted. "I'd betray you again! Naraku has Kohaku completely under his thumb…" Miroku and Inuyasha stood silent and merely looked anywhere but Sango's eyes.

"Sango-chan…" Kagome repeated as she held her right fist to her chest.

"Sango, you…intend to slay Naraku by yourself, don't you?" Miroku questioned, sounding concerned.

"That's the only way," she insisted as she turned her back to them again.

"No…let's all look for Kohaku together," Kagome suggested.

"Right," agreed Miroku. "Alone, you can't match him."

"Okay, first we have to see these wounds," Kagome said as she walked over to Sango and put her hand on her upper arm and peered over her shoulder.

"Why are all of you…" Sango was quickly cut off by a sudden outburst.

"Stop gabbling! It's better that we're all together!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Because you're a strong fighter!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome sighed.

"While you had stolen the Tessaiga, Inuyasha said this: 'there isn't a problem'," Miroku informed her.

"…you saying I'm an idiot or something?" Inuyasha questioned as he looked at Miroku.

"I'm saying you have a big heart," assured the monk.

"Do you hate us, Sango?" Shippo asked, but Sango didn't reply.

_It's all my fault that all this happened…even though the same thing might happen again, _she concluded in her head. "Is it okay…for me to come with you?" She asked.

"Hey, we already said so!" Shouted Inuyasha. Tears slowly dropped from Sango's face as she closed her eyes. "…why is she crying?" Seeing how clueless Inuyasha was about women's feelings, Miroku offered to explain it.

_Sango-chan had been heartbroken the whole time…_Kagome put her right hand on the back of Sango's head in order to comfort her. "It's okay now." Sango gripped Kagome's uniform tightly as she sobbed. _Because we're all together…_


	3. Borrowed Demon

**The Black Flame**

**Chapter 3**

**Borrowed Demon**

* * *

><p><strong>Two Days Afterwards<strong>

**...**

"The smell of blood is definitely coming from here," claimed Inuyasha as he glanced around the small village. It was completely void of life, except for the handful of chickens and a herd of cattle that seemed to be wildly distressed. Even though there was so sign of a battle, the half-demon was sure that he smelled the stench of fresh blood.

"There's no blood that I can see," said Miroku as he ran his fingers down the side of a small shed.

"Miroku's right, I don't see anything odd around here," agreed Sango as she also looked around for signs of anything. She watched as Kagome walked away silently and walked out of view into the town stable.

"Maybe you're still not completely healed from your fight with Naraku," suggested Shippo, shrugging his shoulders. He only received a quick pounding to the back of his head from Inuyasha.

"Shut up. I know what blood smells like, and this is definitely the smell of fresh human blood," declared Inuyasha. He then looked around, noticing that something was missing. "Where's Kagome?"

"She went into the barn," Sango answered as her and Miroku rejoined with Inuyasha.

"Damn it! You let her go off on her own?" Inuyasha shouted to them as he dashed away. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo chased after him, but he was noticeably faster than the rest of them.

**…**

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. He had found his way to the said barn, but he saw no sign of Kagome, but he could slightly smell her despite the horrible stench of blood that only he could smell. "Where are you Kagome?" His reply was a bloodcurdling shriek from the stable furthest to the right. The half-demon burst into the stable and watched as a tall figure loomed over a crouching Kagome. The demon was quite simple in appearance, having yellow skin and long, clawed fingers, but nothing else was very important.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted as he scurried beside her companion as he drew his blade. The yellow-skinned demon took a step forward and reached down towards Kagome, but Inuyasha brandished his large sword around and shouted.

"You bastard! What are you trying to do to Kagome?" Inuyasha snarled as he pointed Tessaiga at the demon's stomach, seeing as that's the highest it would reach. The demon seemed to finally take notice to Inuyasha as he glanced slowly at him. The creature suddenly became enraged, swinging the back of his enormous hand into Inuyasha. The swordsman took a crash course through four stables until he finally came to a stop outside of the barn and back in the open.

"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted as she had witnessed Inuyasha's flight out of the barn. Miroku and Shippo were by her side, looking concerned. "Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha didn't get a chance to answer as the giant demon erupted from the barn, sending pieces of red and brown wood showering over the village as it clutched Kagome in his right hand.

"Let me go!" Kagome cried out as she struggled aimlessly against the monster's powerful grip.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku exclaimed, as he began to unwrap the beads from around his clothed palm, but Sango stopped him.

"Inuyasha and I will take care of this," she offered, equipping her large boomerang weapon as she prepared to fight. Inuyasha roared as he leapt into the air above the demon's head and swung his large blade down towards its shoulder. The demon was surprisingly fast as it grabbed Inuyasha's waist before he could finish his strike and slammed him into one of village's small homes.

"Hirakoutsu!" Sango said as she launched her weapon towards the enemy. The bone-crafted boomerang slammed into its back, but failed to slice through it, only knocking it into the ground. Miroku dashed towards the falling demon and snatched Kagome from its grasp as soon as it collided with the earth.

"Are you alright?" The monk asked as he held Kagome in his arms.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine," she lied, obviously shaken up. Miroku nodded and looked back at the demon as it began to get up.

"Get Kagome out of here! This youkai is obviously after her," Inuyasha ordered as he made his way out of the rubble. "We'll kill this thing, don't worry. I just don't want anything bad to happen to Kagome before then!" The demon roared as it reached for Kagome and Miroku with its enormous, yellow hand. Miroku hit the looming hand with his golden staff, deflected it away from them enough for him to begin running. The demon reached out once again, but this time Inuyasha slammed Tessaiga into the demon's rough forearm.

"Raaaah!" The demon roared as it knocked Inuyasha backwards with its other arm and scrambled to its feet. It slowly reached for Tessaiga with its index finger and thumb, but it was repelled harshly by the sword's anti-demon barrier. It roared in pain, forcing Sango to cover her human ears and kneel.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha shouted as he soon realized that it would be a difficult task retrieving Tessaiga from the demon's hand. His problem became even more difficult when the creature lifted its Tessaiga-implanted hand from the ground and began waving its arms around frantically. "Maybe if it would stop moving, I'd be able to get Tessaiga!"

"Hirakotsu!" Sango threw her weapon at the demon one more time, forcing it backwards but failing to even knock it down this time.

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" The demon screeched in pain as Inuyasha's claws carved a deep gash in its left leg. Unable to stand on its leg any longer, the demon kneeled and began to swings its arms wildly at its two skilled opponents. "You bastard…give me my sword!" Inuyasha charged forward recklessly towards the flailing demon in an attempt to get his weapon back.

"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted out, but she was neither close enough nor fast enough to stop Inuyasha from moving forward. She watched in dismay as Inuyasha collided with the back of the demon's sword-embedded hand. The demon continue to swing its arm back, pushing Inuyasha with it and slamming him into another village home. The demon, rid of its half-demon opponent, turned its attention back to Sango and stood up slowly.

"Stay away!" She ordered as she lobbed her boomerang at the monster as it dragged its large hands along the ground as it advanced towards her. Sango had aimed at the demon's leg in hopes of striking the area that Inuyasha had previously injured, but the demon deflected it quite easily.

"Sango…" the demon moved its dry and crusted lips, revealing a row of jagged teeth that were yellow stained. The thought that the creature had said her name frightened Sango, but the thought that she was relatively defenseless against the rough-skinned demon frightened her even more. "Sango!" The woman closed her eyes, waiting for the ordeal to be over, but she suddenly realized that the voice that spoke her name was way too familiar. Her eyes jolted open just in time for her to witness the demon's head slide off its neck.

"Inuyasha…" A wave of of relief washed over the woman as she watched Inuyasha wipe the demon's blood from his sword on splatter it on the ground. It had not been calling for her, yet it was Inuyasha's voice trying to warn her to get away.

"You bitch, you should have ran," snarled Inuyasha to his female companion as he sheathed Tessaiga slowly. Normally she would have been upset with his harsh words and rude behavior, but she was just happy that both of them were alive and kicking.

**…**

Miroku carried the black-haired girl named Kagome on his back as he ran in the opposite direction of the fight. They had been running steadily for a good while, but Miroku made sure not to tread to far from the village.

"Miroku, turn back!" Kagome ordered sharply.

"Huh? Why, Kagome-sama?" He asked as he slowed his pace, but still continued to move away from their comrades.

"I sense a Shikon Fragment resonating from the village!"

"Could it be Naraku?" Miroku asked aloud as he turned around to the direction of the village once again.

"Let's hope not. Inuyasha and Sango are in no condition to fight him again this soon!"

**…**

"I expected you to finish off my demon quicker than that, _Inuyasha_," said a voice sadistictly from behind Inuyasha. "That decapitation was a nice touch, if I do say so," smirked a small youth that stepped out of the darkness of the shadows. Crimson red eyes escaped from the darkness as he stepped forward, but an odd third eye on his forehead drew much more attention.

"Huh?" Inuyasha whipped around, not expecting to see a demon that was very human-like teenager in appearance standing behind him. Although, he was still confused about why he didn't smell the youth coming his way.

"Now that I see you up close and personal…you look more detestable than I had imagined," he jested.

"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha asked as he flashed his claws at the black-haired figure that stood a mere few meters away from him.

"I find it dreary giving my name so meaninglessly to a mere half-demon that I'm about to slice into ribbons," he answered. He drew his katana and pretended to examine it slowly, not even worried that the half-demon opposite of him might strike.

"I'll waste you, you bastard!" Inuyasha warned, taking a step forward and kicking away a small pile of rubble from with his right foot.

"Stop playing hard. I'm waiting," retorted Hiei, moving his cold, emotionless eyes to gaze upon Inuyasha's own golden ones.


	4. Inuyasha vs Hiei

**The Black Flame**

**Chapter 4**

**Inuyasha vs. Hiei**

* * *

><p>An uneasy wind descended from the heavens and washed over the three figures that stood still in the center of a broken down and abandoned town. The noses of demons could smell the scent of fresh blood easily, but none of the figures cared. They were only concerned with the ones around them, each of them prepared for the other side to strike. The shortest figure seemed to be the least concerned of the three as he stared coldly at the silver-haired one. The only woman of the three began to speak.<p>

"Inuyasha, stop! He's just trying to provoke you!" She stated, reaching for her ally. "Don't you understand that?" She was feeling inferior being away from her weapon and with Inuyasha stiffening his fingers as he showed his claws off.

"Stay out of this, Sango. This is between me and this short bastard," Inuyasha declared, not even granting her a glance acknowledging her presence, just her statement.

"Short bastard?" Hiei repeated to himself, not taking too kindly to Inuyasha's words. "I should just slit your throat while you chat with that woman. Or maybe I should cut her head off in your place."

"That's not going to happen," Inuyasha quickly declared, lashing right through Hiei's words with his own. "I'm going to waste you right now before you even get the chance!" Inuyasha took a powerful lunge forward, kicking up dirt as he pushed forward. His elbow was pulled back with his pinky and ring fingers bent in towards his palm while his index and middle fingers were merely bent, just not towards his palm. As he neared the stoic figure of Hiei, he swiped his clawed hand right into and through Hiei's body, feeling no resistance at all. _T_oo _easy_, thought Inuyasha.

"He vanished!" Sango shouted, causing Inuyasha to realize that he had merely slashed through a near-perfect afterimage. Inuyasha spun around to face Hiei as he reappeared two meters away from his original spot.

"Vanished? Humph! I was just strolling," he teased arrogantly. Inuyasha roared as he launched himself at Hiei again, but the outcome was nearly the same. "Were you trying to hit me? What slow speed." Inuyasha scowled at Hiei as he came into view leaning against a village shed close by. "You said I was short? I think you're the one coming up short!"

"It makes sense now…" Sango muttered, under her breath. "That eye on his forehead must be a Jagan!" Sango shouted out her realization.

"You're right," acknowledge Hiei as he stood up straight, removing himself from his resting position against the wall. Inuyasha looked back at Sango as he waited for her to explain more about the unfamiliar information.

"The evil eye…" Sango muttered as she looked at the ground, deep in concentration. "It allows him to possess low-level demons and weak humans. He must have possessed that yellow demon," Sango concluded as she gestured at the fallen body of the beheaded demon. "He can also use the eye to see things very far away."

"You sure are informed, woman. Could you be a demon expert?" Hiei asked, slightly intrigued with the woman's knowledge. "Or perhaps…an _exterminator?" _Hiei smirked when he saw Sango's surprised reaction, granting him the pleasure of knowing he hit the nail on the mark.

"Quit chatting!" Inuyasha demanded attention from his supposed-to-be opponent."Your fight's with me, you arrogant bastard!" Hiei glanced slowly at the silver-haired youth that stood diagonal of him before shifting his body to face him directly. He then followed Inuyasha's eyes and noticed what the half-demon was gazing at.

"Staring into my eye in a normal facet…Naraku _did _tangle with someone quite impressive," complimented Hiei. Hearing the name 'Naraku', Inuyasha was stunned that this fast demon had met the evil mastermind. Sango was not quite as surprised as her partner was, though.

"Did you say Naraku?" Inuyasha asked. "Are you working for him?" He demanded.

"Working for him?" Hiei repeated. "Of course I'm not working for him, I would never work for _anyone. _I'm simply borrowing his help…and the Shikon no Tama he provided to me," he continued to tease. "And before you ask, no, you may not have the shard."

"Damn you! I'm going to rip you to pieces, you little bastard!" Inuyasha roared as he drew his blade from its protective sheath. With a surge of energy, Inuyasha's battered katana transformed into a large fang-shaped blade.

"Oh…very good. If you don't fight seriously, the game won't be fun anymore," he smirked. He proceeded to point his katana stiffly at the opponent across from him. "I hope you didn't think that I had come here simply to talk to you and that woman, idiot! I came here to slice you into bits and feed you to the hungry mouths of Naraku's demons!" He laughed manically.

"Inuyasha! We have to beat this guy and take his shard!" Said Sango. Hiei whipped his head quickly to look at the woman, cutting her a very sharp and disturbing glance, making her shut her mouth swiftly.

"Like I would let you do that," Hiei said sarcastically before dashing forward towards her so quickly that his body appeared to be a blur. Before either Inuyasha or Sango knew it, Hiei was standing still behind Sango facing away from her with his blade extended to the right as if he had just finished a slash.

"Sango!" Inuyasha cried out her name just as she faded into a state of unconsciousness and slumped over her. "You bastard! What did you do to her?" The half-demon rushed to his recent companion's side and grabbed her shoulders.

"Idiot! Gaze upon her forehead for something really interesting!" Hiei exclaimed. Inuyasha proceeded to roll her over and horror soon washed over him as he examined the female, but anger soon followed.

"You bastard. This is…" Inuyasha's voice trailed off.

"I have given the woman a token for her annoying knowledge!" He laughed as he witnessed Inuyasha's face as he discovered the closed third eye on Sango's forehead. "Her life is now in my hands!"

"This eye…"

"Aren't you happy?" Hiei laughingly asked. "She's going to be my first subordinate! When that eye completely opens, she'll become one of my demonic companions!" Hiei was about to speak again when he noticed the two people that came charging from around the corner.

"Inuyasha! Sango!" The girl asked as she was being carried on a man's back.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "I thought I told you to get out of here!"

"I sensed the Shikon no Tama and rushed right over!" She explained. "And now I see Sango's in bad shape!" She leapt off the monk's back and kneeled beside the downed body of her female companion.

"That wound on her forehead…that's a Jagan eye," realized the man, Miroku. "Kagome! I think you may be able to purify it, or at least keep it closed long enough for us to deal with the original source," said Miroku, noticing Hiei that stood further back.

"I don't know how you suggest I do that…" she sighed, "but I'll try!" Kagome placed her hands over the third eye on Sango's forehead and some sort of 'energy' seemed to seep into the eye from Kagome's hands. "I think it's working! Just find a way to finish that guy!" She had also noticed the demon that had his sword drawn.

"Oh…? You seem to have able to neutralize demonization!" Hiei was slightly impressed. "High-classed purification abilities! You have a very capable companion," he said to Inuyasha. "But without the help of magical herbs, the burden on the purifier is very great."

"If things go wrong, Kagome's life may be taken as well," murmured Miroku solemnly, his head hanging low.

"He's right…I'm starting to feel the strain," Kagome said, although she seemed to be unnerved.

"Haha! More and more interesting! Let's play 'tag' now!" Hiei expressed his amusement with the situation. "The only 'antidote' to stopping the transformation is the Shikon no Tama fragment that I possess! She won't survive unless you take it from me!" He smirked at Inuyasha who was, at this point, incredibly livid. "But if you want to snatch it from my left hand, you won't do it until another hundred years!" Hiei's arrogance is where he made his first mistake, angering Inuyasha so much that the half-demon's abilities dramatically increased.

"You fucking bastard!" A fist slammed into Hiei's jaw, sending the short demon spiraling to the side. Hiei flipped in midair and managed to land safely in a kneeling position a few feet from Inuyasha, his attacker.

"What?" Hiei was stunned. "He moved so quick that I couldn't react! He was a completely different fighter from before!"

"You're going to regret putting their lives in danger," warned Inuyasha. "I'm going to tear you apart now."

"I see…when your companions are get forced into a corner, your powers are increased. Difficult opponent…" Hiei muttered as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "Frankly speaking, that previous move did give me a scare. But to not have been able to snatch the shard in that move was your fatal error. I won't be careless anymore, and you won't be able to get the fragment!"

"You finished talking yet?" Inuyasha asked. "I liked it a hell of a lot better when you were quiet!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he leapt forward at Hiei with his large Tessaiga following behind him. Inuyasha lifted the blade over his head and swung the blade down towards Hiei, but the demon sidestepped the strike and began running circles around Inuyasha.

"I don't suppose you can even catch my shadow!" Hiei jested as he began to speed up, casting afterimages in the process so that appeared to be multiples of him around Inuyasha. "Here!" Inuyasha felt something slice his right arm, but he didn't see what happened. He suddenly began to be cut in different places, but his eyes seemed to be adjusting to Hiei's speed. "How long will your half-demon body last?"

"Do you only know how to jump around?" Inuyasha questioned as he spun around 180 degrees with Tessaiga slicing through the air, following his swing motion. Surprisingly, his blade slammed into something that felt hard. Soon after he felt the hit, he watched as Hiei flew backwards from the impact against his sword.

"You damned half-demon," swore Hiei as he stood up once again with the help of his blade after slamming hard into a brick wall. "You're strong and your instinct is good. I'm impressed," he complimented. He suddenly vanished from the sight of Inuyasha, Miroku, and even Kagome, who was constantly glancing at the battle. Inuyasha felt the pain of something piercing his torso before he even saw the little demon standing in front of him gripping his katana. Inuyasha looked down and saw that he had been impaled in the blink of an eye.

"Damn…it," Inuyasha cringed as he lifted Tessaiga over his head. He brought the sword down quickly and powerfully in hopes that Hiei would abandon his sword and back away from him, but that failed. Instead, Hiei removed his blade from Inuyasha's stomach and brought it up to deflect Inuyasha's slash, which he did. Tessaiga's tip slammed into the ground beside Inuyasha, inflicting no damage to its target.

"That enormous sword is far too slow," mocked Hiei. He then kicked the blade out of Inuyasha's grip, sliding it away from the two, much to the horror of Inuyasha's companions. "And I thought you'd put up much more of a challenge than that." Hiei sneered as he stabbed Inuyasha once again beside the first wound, dropping the half-demon to his knees. "Now you die, _Inuyasha_."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out, lunging forward towards to protect Inuyasha, but she was quickly gripped by strong arms that held her back.

"Stand back, Kagome-sama," ordered Miroku as he let her go and began to remove the beads from around his hand. Hiei shot him a fierce glance, that instilled a sliver of fear into the monk that stalled him long enough for Hiei to launch a cloud of dust at them by swiping at the ground with his sword. Suddenly, a wave of dread and evil energy washed over the whole battlefield, and out of it came the hated, yet **only** shed of hope left. One hand gripped Hiei's blade and a second hand gripped his forearm. The owner of the hands were none other than Inuyasha, but he wasn't the same person at all.


	5. Inuyasha vs Hiei II

**The Black Flame**

**Chapter 5**

**Inuyasha vs. Hiei II**

* * *

><p>Out of the cloud of smoke, Hiei abruptly shot backwards and back into sight as he crashed through a village home forcefully as if something or someone had thrown him. The figure of Inuyasha stepped into view from the ash cloud, surprising Miroku and Kagome.<p>

"Inuyasha!" She shouted, although she was still attempting to purify the Jagan Eye on Sango's forehead. The small demon, Hiei, stepped out of the home through the hole in it, but he was now missing his shirt.

"Damn you, Inuyasha," swore Hiei. He glanced down at the long gash on his left arm as dark blood trickled from it. Hiei then looked back at Inuyasha and noticed his sudden change in appearance. "You're not the same as before…" Inuyasha's eyes were now blood red while his irises had disappeared and pupils became slits. Jagged, purple stripes had appeared under his eyes, the origin of them covered by his still silver hair.

"What's the matter…" began Inuyasha. "Wasn't I supposed to be coming up short, eh?" He jested.

"Don't mock me!" Hiei exclaimed, launching himself forward quickly. Hiei swung his blade down at Inuyasha's chest faster than Miroku and Kagome could see, but Inuyasha managed to dodge it, even counterattacking as he opened up another cut on Hiei's chest.

"I-Inuyasha…?" Miroku called out his companion's name nervously from a distance as if attempting to discern something strange.

_Inuyasha's face…it looks like a demon's_…Kagome's mind wandered as she gazed at the bloody battle going on in front of her.

"I don't get it. Inuyasha, you bastard…did you transform into a full demon now?" Hiei asked, taking a step backwards to gain a bit of distance.

"Instead of asking me questions about my body, you should be saying your last words, whatever your name is," Inuyasha suggested. "I'm sending you straight to hell." He stated sadistically as he dodged another of Hiei's quick slashes.

_His state of mind is completely different from before! No fear, no hesitation, no remorse…_Hiei frowned at his opponent as he reassessed the situation. "You're funny, Inuyasha." The silver-haired fighter scowled as he proceeded to lunge forward with his extended claws at the ready.

"Those are pitiful last words," Inuyasha shouted, swiping at Hiei, who leapt backwards. As he landed, Hiei noticed the three lines running across his stomach. Blood slowly escaped to the surface, dripping from his newly created wounds. A fist suddenly slammed into Hiei's shoulder, sending him spiraling through the only remaining undamaged home in the village. Inuyasha smiled villainously, proud of his own speed and strength. He watched as Hiei escaped through the darkness of the empty home and back into the sunlight, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You cursed thing…" he sighed, staring down Inuyasha. "How could I be forced to 'transform' by a mere half-demon?" Hiei crossed his arms at his chest as began to pulse with energy. He looked down at the ground, his face straining as he began to power-up. His skin slowly eroded to a green shade along with the appearance of numerous eyes that were scattered all over his body. "You will learn to fear me!" Black sparks suddenly shot from the eye on Sango's forehead, surprising Kagome.

"What?" She squealed as she attempted to continue purifying it, but it suddenly became much more stressful to her body. Inuyasha didn't even spare Kagome a glance, despite her loud shout. He continued to stare down Hiei as the demon finished his transformation.

"Do you no longer care about your comrades?" Hiei asked.

"Just die," Inuyasha hissed, charging at Hiei again. His body suddenly slowed dramatically, giving Hiei the perfect opportunity to plant his fist into Inuyasha's jaw, thus knocking him backwards, but not to the ground. Inuyasha attempted to move, but he found himself unable to do so.

"With the curses of so many Jagans, even you will be unable to escape!" Hiei laughed. "I shall repay you for what you have done to me!" Hiei began to throw punch after punch into Inuyasha's body, everywhere from his head to his stomach, and his stomach to his unprotected sides. Hiei suddenly subsided his bombardment of strikes and stared at Inuyasha as if admiring his handiwork. He then turned around and bent over, reaching for his katana once again. "Now do you understand the difference in our powers?" Hiei picked up his blade and turned back around to face Inuyasha, who was still immobile. "Now die!" Hiei shot his arm forward in an attempt to skewer his opponent, but he didn't notice the smirk on Inuyasha's face. Nor did he notice the clawed hand coming forward towards his torso.

"No, you die," hissed Inuyasha. His claws sliced into Hiei's side while Hiei's blade slid across Inuyasha's right arm, leaving a gory wound on it. The two stood motionless as blood dripped slowly from them.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome muttered.

"Damn you, Inuyasha," Hiei swore, although he didn't move his body. "You're too dangerous to have around!" Hiei swiftly leapt backwards while holding his hand over his open wound as too not bleed out.

"You avoided a fatal wound, but that's the last time," warned Inuyasha, licking the blood from his claws.

"With all my power now, I'm going to kill you!" Hiei proclaimed as he launched himself forwards toward the viscous Inuyasha, but he was unarmed. He cocked his arm backwards and shot it forward as hard as he could. The attack was ineffective as Inuyasha quickly grabbed the fist, causing cracks to appear underneath him under the force of the strike. Hiei let out a battle cry as he cocked his other arm back and shot it forward, attempting to impale Inuyasha with his own claws. "Now rest in peace!"

"It was nice knowing you," said the demonic Inuyasha as he smirked. The tips of Hiei's fingers entered into Inuyasha's torso, but he soon felt a sudden burst of pain in his own torso. He looked down and saw only the forearm of Inuyasha connecting to his stomach. Only Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo could see the claw come into view on the other side of Hiei's body.

"What…the…" Hiei jerked back, allowing the arm to escape his stomach, but also prompting a pool of blood to form underneath him. Hiei looked at the gaping hole in his stomach and then back at Inuyasha, as if asking if he had actually done that. Hiei dropped to one knee, suddenly feeling unbalanced and drained of energy. His dizziness was quickly interrupted by a shout from Kagome.

"Sango!" She cried as he friend's eyes opened. Miroku was standing over her with Hiei's borrowed Shikon fragment in his hands.

"He dropped the shard when he transformed," Miroku informed her of how he came to possess the shard. The Jagan eye on Sango's forehead was quickly disappearing from sight, to the relief of her comrades.

"Hiei…" Sango muttered. This caused the demon's eyes to open in surprise and shock. "Your name is Hiei, isn't it?" She asked, turning to look at the injured demon.

"Sango-chan, what are you talking about?" Kagome asked, looking worried about her friend and her unexpected question.

"I saw it all…I saw flashes of what appeared to be that guy's memory," she explained as she gestured toward the small youth. "His name being Hiei is the only definitive thing I can really remember from the memories. He also seemed to have had a tough childhood…"

"Shut up!" Hiei shouted, although he barely possessed enough energy to do so. "You pulled memories from the Jagan Eye? That's impossible, woman. That shouldn't happen…" he trailed off, looking at the ground in thought. "Damn it." He glanced up at Inuyasha who was advancing towards him.

"Inuyasha," Kagome called his name as she took a step towards him.

"Don't come any closer!" He ordered, baring his fangs at her involuntarily. "As I am right now, I don't know what I might do," he said honestly.

"Inuyasha…what happened to him?" Sango asked.

"Inuyasha's yokai has gained in strength," Miroku commented.

"Yeah, it's like he's become a true demon," noticed Sango. Shippo said nothing as he gripped the sleeve of Miroku's arm and took refuge behind him.

"Tch. You humans are so pitiful. Showing carelessness around a demon who could turn on you at any moment and rip you to shreds without a second thought," said Hiei as he spat on the ground. He struggled back to his feet and swayed a little bit, but he soon found his composure.

"You bastard," Inuyasha lunged at Hiei one last time in order to finish him off once and for all.

"SIT BOY!" With that order being shouted into the air, Inuyasha slammed face first into the dirt-covered ground as if pushed down by the hand of God himself.

"Wha…what the fuck are you doing?" Inuyasha asked as he lifted his head off the ground and shouted at the girl. His face had returned to normal and even his bloodlust seemed to have vanished as well.

"Ah, he's back," said Shippo from atop Miroku's head.

"I'm so glad, Inuyasha!" Kagome wrapped her arms around the silver-haired half-demon, much to the disgust of Hiei. "You're you again!" As they embraced, Hiei swayed in the wind, barely possessing enough strength left to stand still.

"You humans continue to astonish me with your impudence," remarked Hiei. "I'm surprised you haven't been killed yet. I guess you have Inuyasha to thank for that although..." Inuyasha turned his attention back to his heavily wounded opponent and took a step forward, blowing past Kagome.

"Inuyasha, wait!" She demanded. "He's already injured severly!" Kagome reached out for Inuyasha, but he was already to far from her grasp. Hiei glared intensely at the onward approaching half-demon, waiting to see what action he would take.

"This bastard deserves to die right now!" Inuyasha shouted back in reply as he plucked the discarded Tessaiga from the ground and continued towards Hiei. "He attempted to possess Sango, harm you with his demon, he insulted you guys, picked a fight with me, and even works under Naraku! What more says he deserves to die than that?" Kagome and her companions were all surprised about Inuyasha's outburst.

"You're mistaken, Inuyasha," Hiei replied calmly. "I would never work under an insolent being such as Naraku. I just wanted to kill you, is all." Hiei attempted to take a step forward, but he found that he didn't have enough energy to fight again. "...and I still will kill you," he boasted.

"Tch!" Inuyasha's Tessaiga transformed back into its large and fang-like form as he got closer to Hiei. He suddenly stopped and peered into the sky at something that caught his and all of his companions attention. "Hey!" Inuyasha shouted at Hiei, startling him. "Did you bring those demons here?" Inuyasha asked, looking past Hiei and at the horde of demons that blanketed the skys behind them.


End file.
